Through the wormhole
by Priss5
Summary: Mshep x Tali/ Tali x Garrus, Loosely based on Singularity, Xen through the help of E99 takes revenge on the galaxy. Mshep must figure out a way to stop her and change history. Multi characters: Mshep, Tali, Garrus, Xen, Real, Liara, Mordin, ect
1. Chapter 1

He'd just returned back from lunch with his beautiful purple suited lover she'd sipped her paste and he'd enjoyed some soup while chasing it with more coffee. They'd chatted about her because he'd rather do that then think about the here and now.

" Good afternoon Commander," Kelly greeted as he emerged from the elevator. He nodded but truth be told he didn't like this appointed secretary. She like Miranda served dual purposes to watch his every move, monitor every email, note, and comm transmission he'd made so they could make sure he wasn't going to go back to the Alliance. It gave him mix feelings he was a prisoner but at the same time in Command though even that felt hollow at times he knew who really was incharge of this mission and it wasn't him.

He ascended the ramp to the galaxy map to review the solar system they currently were in he wanted to go do some mining it was the only time he truly got away from the spies surrounding him and about the only thing that didn't involve in some way Cerberus agendas.

Miranda had protested loudly against him even touching a mako when she found out he'd been looking at the ship dealers on the Citidel. Within a week the poor hammerhead had conveniently blew its levitators and by a miracle the machine was on back order for the next year. Garrus was thrilled to see the latest mako inside their docking bay with harder shields, better balance, and deeper penetrating shells.

" Um Commander," Joker's voice came over his ear comm, " We're picking up a signal,"

" Patch it through," He ordered

" Sure, it's weak. I'm going to try and triangulate where it's coming from no one's suppose to be out here."

" This is Rael Zorah….. emergency aid….we have fires, we're unable to contain them….. " the transmission was filled with static and though the man was yelling he was barley heard like he was a million miles away.

" Rael?…Joker can you clear this up?" He asked moving away from the galaxy map confusion written over his features.

" Believe it or not I did, but I'm getting a reading on one of the moons surrounding Arturus. It's faint, but maybe worth a look Commander."

" The man claims to be Rael Zorah he said there was fires if that's true he isn't going to be alive long." Shepard remarked dryly.

" Isn't Real the name of Tali's dad?" The pilot asked.

"Get a recording sent over to Tali to confirm its him, in the mean time get us close to the boradcast zone…" he said switching radio frequencies via his Omni tool, " Garrus, Tali we're on a rescue mission I need you at the mako now." He ordered heading for the stairs.

" Shepard, is this true?" Tali confirmed.

" You got the message? You tell me," He said rushing to the elevator.

" I…yes that's my father's voice but…"

" What happened?" Asked the Turian in a wobbling hum over the line.

" Tali's father is radioing for help."

" …Shit….good thing I practically live there," Garrus stated in shock.

" I'm there in two seconds," She reported back

" Any idea what your dad would be doing on a moon?" The human asked entering tapping the button waiting for the asent.

" No."

" We're both here," His Turian friend reported, " we'll just be waiting on you."

" No you're waiting on the molasses coated elevator," The human shot back.

" Take your time, we'll both just be waiting here breaking open some Turian brandy while we wait for your chariot to arrive." The alien jested.

" Good make sure you get some ice for my share," He smiled as the elevator finally reached him and he selected the lower deck.

He arrived in the shuttle bay to Joker's voice " Commander ready for drop point one," the normally snaky man informed over the loud speakers.

He jumped into the mako and took his position at the driver seat as the siren's sounded for hatch opening. It was procedure for the dock to be cleared of any personnel during drops so that they couldn't be accidentally sucked out the open hatch. The oxygen vacated the room and anything not bolted or tied down. He roared the engines and placed the peddle to the floor launching the 6 wheeled tank rightout the open ramp into the sky.

This part never got old his adreniline always soared when this occurred. He waited for the warning sirens to ringout before deploying all thrusters on and firing the kinetic barriers at full blast to cushion the impact he was rewarded with a heavy thud as they made contact with the moon's dusty ground even strapped in he flew up in his seat a good 5 inches as the vehicle rocketed with the shock of the successful landing.

" I'm glad these cushions are thick and have shock absorbers," Tali commented.

" Yeah otherwise I'd have a broken tailbone," Shepard agreed. Checking out the map, " "According to the map we need to go North East Tali monitor the radar and give me a head's up for enemies," Their commander ordered.

" Will do Shep," She confirmed.

" Gun's ready and primed," Garrus informed from the back.

" Alright let's get this rescue mission underway."

The mako had preformed beautifully scaling the rough tertian with relative ease. Even the geth didn't stand a chance against it's supreme fire power a tank on 6 wheels with the raw power to roll over a colossi and keep taking the shots. Shepard smiled he loved running over colossi and backing over them a few times for good measure…that move never got old. He'd heard other N7 marines complain about it's unstable tendencies but they simply didn't know how to handle her in away the mako was like the Normandy anyone could pilot but it took a professional that could feel the minute and delicate shifts in her overall skeleton to make her drive like a dream.

They drove as fast as they could and even launched off a few cliffs with careful precision a lesser driver would've flipped the mako right on over but with well timed thrusters the move was made to look effortless though one really needed to have timing and distance for it. The vehicle never rocked anymore then a car going over a speed bump at 5mph. He'd kept the mako's radio on the distress signal's last known broadcast channel just in case as they neared the relative location Joker had painted.

" Tali why would your father be here?" He asked gripping the steering wheel.

" I don't know," She replied, " Last I spoke to him he was on the Aleri and he didn't even message me to ask about what I was doing. It was only for confirming he got the parts I sent."

" Parts?" The human asked

" It's scavenged tech for projects….just materials he can't get on the flotilla."

" So you don't know your fathers schedule?"

" No, he's an Admiral Shepard, I know his schedule as well as I know yours." She sighed frustrated.

" We'll I could change that but I think that would only piss off half the brass," He smiled, " slightly"

" Only half?" She cooed

" Hey, can you two find something else to do up there? I was there when you two had your… thing…infact don't do anything, keep your hands to yourselves."

" Only my hands Garrus?" Tali mocked.

" And your Omni programs." The Turian added. The Quraian gave a disappointed sigh.

" Tali are you picking anything up on the radar? I'm not seeing any smoke," The human refocused the group.

" It's a moon maybe it's under ground," Tali surmised.

" More reason to worry then, if it's like Luna then that fire could rage for days." He commented sparring her a concerned and apologetic look.

" Let's hope they get it under control before we show up," Garrus commented.

" We're almost there, I don't think they'll get it wrapped up in 3 minuets."

Suddenly a flash of white light illuminated the sky blotting out the crisp darkness of space entirely. Shepard whipped the mako to the side starring momentarily at the brilliant light before him,

" What the hell is that?" He asked mindlessly before he realized the light keep growing, " Bomb! Down!" He screamed, getting down as far as the steering wheel would allow. Tali did like wise but she was able to place her head all the way down to her knees. Garrus left the guns and quickly strapped in as the blast hit the mako. The military vehicle raised up on the right three wheels and threatened to roll with the force of the blast but after a moment of teetering the weight of the other half brought the vehicle down on all six tires again.

" Shit that was fun," Shepard breathed hard, " Tali?"

The woman was already on the vehicle's diagnostics," That hurt a lot," She said," We'd have to spend a few hours here Shepard."

" No can do," he said, " Get your gear people, we're running."

They abandoned the mako to run the last leg on foot to the known location they found a sheer wall of mountainous rock shooting up and a large heavy metal door set into it. A sturdy ramp lead up about 2 stories high to the enormous mine grade doors.

" Not another mine," Garrus moaned, " Why does it always have to be spooky dark mines?"

" Don't forget the husk infestations…." Tali agreed warily.

" Just know where your clips are," Their human leader retorted taking point. In truth he hated the mines just as much as they did. It wasn't pleasant down in the dark, surrounded by monsters, he really hoped they'd get lucky this time and only have to deal with the fire and evacuations.

The entrance was pretty torn up and already coated with soot. The ramps creaked as their combined weight slowly made it's way over them. There was no power.

" Well this looks promising," Garrus sarcastically hummed in low tone.

The trio made it to the main level the floors, walls, and doors were metal, broken glass littered the hall and interior of the sealed rooms, their Omni lamps bounced eerily off the lifeless walls their paint faded and tired.

" Everyone let's tune into that station again," He ordered switching his Omni channel over while keeping their ear comm units synced to one another.

" So quite," Tali mused gripping her shotgun harder.

" Quite is never good," The turain in the rear of the formation hummed low turning around to make sure no one was fallowing them.

" This is Rael Zorah….. " the station flared again. The voice reverberating off the walls.

" Admiral this is Commander Shepard," He said over his comm interrupting the man, " We hear you give us your location."

There was a pause long and deep, " Commander?" the Quairan's hum wobbled, "…What is your ship?"

" Admiral Rael it's me Tali, we're coming to get you." She jumped in quickly, " please give us your location?"

" Give me your ship,"

" Nar Raya,"

"….I'm in the labs."

" Right were are those?"

" Don't you have the maps?" The admiral shrieked

" Maps? We just came in. We need directions" The human pressed.

" In? From where?"

" The surface. We heard your distress signal I'm in a dark hallway, the glass is shattered, I haven't found anything yet that would tell me more on my location."

" But you've come through the main vault entrance right? You don't sound Quarian, did the Admiralty send you?"

" You said there's a fire so does it matter right now?" the smooth skin male argued.

" No…you're right come to lower levels right away. We have teams trying to contain the fire but it's growing rapidly, we're doing what we can to reclaim the data, we need to get out of here quick."

" Were to?" He asked quickening his pace seeing stairs leading down.

" The labs, we're in the lower labs. If you're coming in from the surface you need to get lower take the stairs down to the elevator hall and get to the lower floors,"

" Alright we're getting lower just hold on!" He said running down aging metal stairs

" How many are with you?" Tali asked.

" Me, my staff, others…hurry!"

" We're coming!" Shepard confirmed

They ran down the stairs as fast as they could trying to ignore the shuttering of the entire staircase as they went. They ran to the last set of stairs.

" We've come down some stairs."

" Get to the elevators!" Rael ordered.

" Where's that from here?"

" Ahead, um… theres a huge…..can't miss it."

" Repeat?"

" Real repeat!" He ordered

" The fire's spreading!"

" Where to next?"

" Elevators! Hurry!"

" Tali, scans of this place could be useful," the human muttered.

" I'm already on it," She said typing away and trying to keep up but soon she'd fallen behind the men.

They ran until the hallway litterly stopped with a sheer drop midway. They peered into what looked to be a very ruined two story lobby. Untraditional for Quarian architecture. If one knew the signs they would've been able to tell where the top floor and grand stairwell use to be.

" Wow you don't see this built by Quarians." Garrus said looking down to the ruined lobby below.

" I don't think we're going this way." Shepard said scanning the sight before him. The wall paint was faded, floors broken from other angles, the way the upper floors were situated one could imagine there use to be a floor that lead out to the stairs that took you down to the next level but the upper floor had long sense smashed into the one below it creating a hole in the middle and an unsteady outer edge one the Commander wasn't eager to cross on foot if not necessary, " Got another way around?" He asked turning back to the purple suited girl.

" No."

" Fine, get your ropes, we're climbing." He said reaching into a side bag on his hip and pulling out a small gun looking up he shot into the ceiling and soon a rope tumbled down. Fired deep into the aging ceiling was a splayed metal tip that would keep the rope stable for the group to slid down….he hoped.

He'd rarely used this device and was hesitant to use it with alien team mates. The portable rope was made with humans in mind, the Turians didn't see any need for them as they preferred to make ramps using whatever even if that meant destroying a wall.

" I'll go first," He said uneager gently taking the rope in both hands before swinging onto it and wrapping a part around his left foot.

" I'd say let's blow up a wall," Garrus said looking skeptically at his commander supporting himself via the rope above the chasm, " but I think we'd collapse the whole damn thing."

" Me too," the human agreed beginning his decent.

" Be careful Shepard," Tali said honestly.

" If he falls…" the Turian began

" You're going to get him," She finished quickly looking at him menacingly.

" You know I was there when you two had your thing and"

" I have a shotgun."

"…Riiight."

" Oh come on Garrus! You know you love us!" Shepard teased slowly descending.

" Not that much Shepard!" the Turian yelled back.

" Not even me?" She pouted hands behind her back and swaying slightly.

" Is that with or without the threat of death?"

He could tell she was gapping at the sarcasm in his voice.

" Hey I'm alive anyone else coming down?" Shepard yelled up.

" I'll defiantly come down on you!" Tali screamed back and mimicked the human's position to lower herself down. She was laughing all the way down as she caught sight of the Turian's combined disgusted and embarrassed expression.

In that moment he decided he hated the Quarian as he reached out for the fiber line.

The rope felt odd in his hands the fibers really separated under his touch and he wondered if that was suppose to happen or if it was a bad sign. He swore he could feel the metal anchor holding the rope shifting creating small almost unnoticeable vibrations through the material. He certainly didn't feel safe doing this he longed for explosives and started to think of all the way's he would've solved their two story dilemma if it wasn't for the decrepit conditions. Relief filled him when his feet touched the ground.

" Bout time," Shepard stated amused," Let's go."

" Real can you hear me?"

" The fire's reached to our level Commander. We can't stay here much longer….so much research…"

" Alright stay calm I'm coming we had to climb into the lobby."

" Climb?"

" Yeah it's collapsed in here,"

" What? That can't be! Look you need to get to those elevators."

" This place is a hazard Shepard the Admiral's going to be dead by the time we figure out this trashed maze," Garrus grimly commented. He was almost inclined to believe him why the hell was it all like this if the fire was still ongoing?

" That's my dad you're talking about!" Tali nearly growled, " I've got some stairs past the elevators to the right."

" Good double time it," He said moving quickly over the edges of the broken floor. At least the stairwell was practically still useful the upper stairs were collapsing but the lower ones were ok they raced down several before he tried again, " Admiral?" he ran down even more, "Admiral can you hear me?"

He could hear him coughing, " Shepard..(cough) I can't wait anymore we're evacuating (cough) I hope we meet you but we have to go."

" Wait dad!" Tali jumped in on the comm again but there was only silence.

The stairs had collapsed and he stopped quickly Tali ran right into his outstretched arm hurting it. He yelped and pulled it back rubbing it.

" Sorry," She said

" Why'd you stop?" The Turian asked quickly slowing down

" No stairs," He looked back the way he'd come and noticed a rustic door, " Through that door!" He ran back up the flight he'd descended and to the door with a strong kick the door screamed open and he rushed through the hallway or what was once a hallway had the left side of the wall had fallen down it now showed perfectly the darkness of the mines beyond and he wasn't going to keep his Omni light on it to see any further.

" More broken crap," Garrus complained as they made their way at a slow walk thorugh the aging structure.

The hallway lead into a huge cave this looked to be more of a maintance area then for public use. He could see the shells of the rustic elevator shafts and how unsteady all the metal walkways looked. Aging and rustic this didn't look good.

" Ok," He said turning to the group, " I'm going fist if I can make it half way Tali you're next then Garrus ok?"

" We're spacing ourselves out?" She asked concerned.

" Yeah this stuff looks bad,"

" Then let's find a new way," She offered.

" We're out of time," He said turning and heading cautiously onto the cat walk. He'd made it half way and Tali began to walk carefully across when the cave lit up into a blue haze nearly blinding in its brilliance she turned and saw the same blue blast that had rocked the mako earlier.

" SHEPARD!" She screamed eyes locked on her boyfriend. He turned around saw the light as well and quickly began to run back towards the shelter of the broken hallway. Garrus seized her waist and hauled her back into the broken hallway fast pressing the smaller woman against him and his back to the solid wall behind him. His eyes watched their commander rushing back towards them but he was to slow he dropped to the ground and covered he's head as the blast struck the light was blinding he had to look away he felt the air push through the hall but strangely felt no burning and as the light faded there was no pull of the air. He looked back to where his Commander had been…he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Sirens blared the echoes ringing into the large cavern where he lay face planted onto the floor, he'd felt a shock to his body it still buzzed from the energy but beyond that he was oddly ok from a blast that rocketed the mako only minutes before. The first thing he noticed as he rose to his knees was the floor no longer rustic and seeming to fail at any moment but it was silver pure, pristine, and stable. It was then he realized he could see looking above he saw lights strung by wires the whole metal scaffolding were ablaze with light. Screams poured from below, his blue eyes focused on the doorway in front of him, instead of seeing his girlfriend and best friend he saw a closed green door with tinted glass. He rose to his feet quickly and looked around confused.

" Tali, Garrus?" He shouted then manually opened his comm link, " Tali, Garrus do you copy?!" silence was his reply. He quickly tore open the door into a well lit hallway….and promptly looked back and fourth between the scaffold and the hall both former decrepit and hazardous now painted, unmarred, and sound…., " Garrus…" His voice seemed to struggle out of him he quickly walked down the hallway. It was the same hallway they'd come through right?

" Tali…damn it answer me!" He opened the door into what he remembered to be a collapsed lobby it was now actively bustling with…Quarians….a few Asari and a Salarian but so many Quarians in one space it felt very odd. His mind wracked with confusion the suited faceless people before him were in various states of stress, panic, and relief their suits in various states blood stained, black, and bandaged, some had cracked face plates others skin peeked out of burnt off fabric or tears in the suits. People rushed to and fro he absent mildly fallowed the wall trying to stay out of sight in the chaos. He continued to look at the various colored Quarians some laying on the floor screaming smoke billowing from the walls…the walls? He turned around and saw the iron frames of elevator doors a strange humming sound came from behind the elevator doors opened and people poured out gasping, moaning, screaming, reeking of burnt rubber and flesh he moved away from the escaping crowd only to be shoved into the empty elevator by someone unknown as the doors slammed shut.

He realized almost immediately what had happened someone accidentally in their panic shoved him more likely ran full speed into him in their blinded, confused haste, but what was worse is the elevator other then the heat of the metal the elevator had already started moving he leapt up to look at the panel….it was not in English…just scrolls that he guessed were numbers. But what floor did he come from? He was about to hit random buttons when the elevator lurched upward then suddenly slammed down and kept speeding in rapid decent.

" SHIIIIIIIT!" He screamed grasping the rails. Intense butterflies filled his stomach, made him sick, but what was worse was that he was free falling in an elevator! A personal phobia of his coming true and he knew the stop would kill him! He couldn't breathe, he felt insanely dizzy as he gripped the rails harder despite the heat emanating from the fires below. The elevator let out a horrid squeal and he slammed to the floor as the breaks took hold, for a moment he stayed on his knees sick, disorientated, and confused the doors slowly opened and gray smoke billowed in from the small gap. Instantly he began to cough he had no helmet on he left it back in the main hall in his haste! His armored hands grasped the edges of the doors and shoved with all his strength to widen the gap. He managed to nudge them slightly no prize for Herculean strength here but it was enough…barely to complicate things the elevator didn't stop evenly with the floor so he had to climb up, cram through the opening , and hope he made it before the smoke became unbearable or the elevator decided to slice him in two.

The gap was tight for his frame and his armor was threatening to make him stuck. He sighed relieved when he'd pulled his legs through but the smoke was getting worse it was hot unbelievable so…it was definitely still a fire in progress.

Suited figures in the blackened haze running for their lives trying to find the exits. A woman in black ran through the door on to his left side as the floor collapsed she instinctively reached out and barely seized the edge, " Ah!" She screamed.

" Here," He rasped grabbing the slender woman's arm behind her elbow. He was sure he was hurting her but at this point getting her up was the priority he yanked the suited woman through the hole and pulled her onto the floor. The black suited girl breathed hard.

" You Ok ?" He asked the girl momentarily looked at him strangely.

" My leg," She said.

" Where are the stairs?" He barked grabbing the injured woman and tossing her over his armored shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

" AH…" The Quarian woman huffed mind freezing.

" Damn it come on!" He ordered moving quickly as the flames began to envelope the floor they'd just been standing on.

" It's so hot!" the woman cried

" It's going to get a lot hotter!" He grunted back. He needed to find a working elevator he decided to race out the door and to the right of where there would be elevators or stairs…he hoped. More rushing Quraians, more chaos, things fallowing, pathways closing, pathways opening through explosions, it was a blur. He was only focused on escape, not choking on thick smoke, and pressing forward with the woman slung on his shoulder he vaguely heard his name but dismissed it as a mental illusion as his mind suddenly speed up he was in cooler air, his lungs were less restricted, he saw the tile flooring and collapsed to his knees taking the woman off his shoulder. His breathing was hard and ragged.

" The Ancestors Xen is that you? " A familiar male voice wobbled " You're alive!" the green suited male basked.

" Thanks to him," She said looking at him.

" Thanks to who?" The man asked sounding so far away….

The next thing he knew he was back in the destroyed lobby near the doorway he'd rammed through. The world was strange and confusing to his eyes the middle of the floor caved in, the edges barely sound. His turned on his Omni light and shown it down into the pit of rubble and rust as his eyes took in the new scene before him and his mind tried to make sense of it all was he dreaming? If so why did his lugs, legs, and shoulder hurt? He noticed the elevators were now on the far side of the damaged lobby when did he get here? And How?

" Tali, Garrus?" He radioed again and once more nothing greeted his ear…

He saw flashes near the elevator hallway their soft beams bouncing in the open doorway he swore that was the stairwell he'd gone down with his team….

" Garrus!" He screamed. The bouncing lights stopped.

He looked around the room gauging the best way to cross quickly.

" Hey Garrus get the hell out here!" He roared

The lights moved again faster now. Maybe the comms where just down?

Three people burst forth from the doorway all with Omni lights, all in black suits, and all wearing helmets with tinted smoke grey face plates. He squinted to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him the Quarians drew their guns and aimed them at him. He gasped as he dodged the bullets staying low and barreling back down the hallway he'd swore was pristine a moment ago and down concrete stairs. He ran down unknown flights and straight into a blacken hallway it created an L shape in front of the doorway he stood in. Immediately he noticed the straight branch was blocked by fallen charred debris to his right all but a hole in the wall had collapsed he was about to run when he heard a strange sound turning back around he was greeted with the holo orb of a red drone. He leapt back and tried to dash out of it's way his barriers caught the electricity it shot fourth he drew his own side arm and shot dashing to the right and through the small hole.

The hole slowed him down he had to crouch to get through and by the time he arose again the orb had already emerged through it he shot again and turned to run the drone shot again shattering his shields and quickly refired hitting him feeling the shock run through him he stumbled and crashed into a pile of chard beams he hastened to get upright when a second struck him blurry eyed he fired with his pistol again. He moved backwards as much as his limbs would let him his right leg was difficult his left had shut down and his left arm was hanging on only his right hand could hold his gun barely. He fired off a few more rounds the drone flickered and shocked him a fourth time his body had had enough it failed him and crumpled to the ground. He nearly begged his limbs to move but they ignored him, darkness creped around his eyes as he lay in the old soot and dust. He could hear the chatter of an approaching group as he blacked out.


End file.
